On certain equations in free groups

Authors Piroska Csörgő, Benjamin Fine, Gerhard Rosenberger

Publication date 18 February 2003

Free nonabelian groups (20E05) Generators, relations, and presentations of groups (20F05) Commutator calculus (20F12)

In 1918 Nielsen proved that if \(F=\langle u,v\rangle\) is a free group and the elements \(x,y\in F\) satisfy the condition \([x,y]=[u,v]\), then \(\{x,y\}\) freely generates \(F\). Also, if \(\{x,y\}\) are Nielsen reduced in \(F\) with respect to \(\{u,v\}\), then \(\{x,y\}\subset\{u,u^{-1},v,v^{-1}\}\), see \textit{B. Fine} and \textit{G. Rosenberger} [Groups '93 Galway/St. Andrews, Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 211, 205-232 (1995; Zbl 0847.20044)] or \textit{B. Fine, G. Rosenberger} and \textit{M. Stille} [Groups-Korea '94, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 69-105 (1995; Zbl 0870.20024)]. In their recent paper \textit{R. Hidalgo} and \textit{B. Maskit} [On classical and neo-classical Schotty groups (to appear)] asked whether for two sets \(\{x,y\}\), \(\{u,v\}\) of generators for a free two-generator group \(F\) such that \([x,y^n]=[u,v^m]\) (where \(m,n\geq 1\)), \(m=n\) holds. The current paper gives a positive answer to this question. Moreover, if \(n=m\geq 2\), then \(y\) is conjugate in \(F\) to \(v\) or \(v^{-1}\). The authors also prove: Let \(F\) be a free group of rank \(2\) and suppose that \(\{x,y\}\), \(\{u,v\}\) are two sets of generators for \(F\). Suppose further that \([x^n,y^m]=[u^p,v^q]\) with \(n,m,p,q\geq 2\). Then one of the following holds: (1) \(n=p\), \(m=q\) and \(u\) is conjugate to \(x^{\pm 1}\) and \(v\) is conjugate to \(y^{\pm 1}\); (2) \(n=q\), \(m=p\) and \(u\) is conjugate to \(y^{\pm 1}\) and \(v\) is conjugate to \(x^{\pm 1}\).

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